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Using social media is second nature to some. But businesses are quickly learning that it’s an important part of job training today for employees who are digital natives and neophytes alike.

By most measures, Linda North would be considered savvy about social media. She believes, however, that there’s always something to be learned. So the marketing and community manager for Ecobee, a maker of digital thermostats in Toronto, is working on getting a digital strategy and communications management certificate course from the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies.

“I used to be in PR, so I did a lot of social media projects,” she says. “But you always need to keep on top of all the changes. You’re continuously having to learn what’s going on in that world no matter what field you’re in.”

Social media training is especially important since companies of all sizes are looking for expertise in the field, she adds. “Everyone is learning the best way to use different challenges and how to communicate properly. The role of a social media community manager will only grow.”

It’s not just about learning the mechanics of Facebook or how to post items on Twitter. Social media training also includes the thinking and behaviour that goes with it, such as communications skills, policy development, proper online etiquette, strategic planning and content development.

“If you’re just focusing on the social media tool, you’re missing the boat,” says Cyrus Mavalwala, founding partner of Advantis Communications Inc. in Toronto, a provider of social media training. “You also have to know how to use it to deliver value.”

The demand for social media training is growing, he says. “Businesses are realizing it’s not a fad anymore. The fact that anyone can be a spokesperson now is changing the landscape. Social media tools are in the hands of people across the organization, from sales and customer service to HR and marketing.”

The spectrum of training needs ranges from older management teams who understand strategy and business value but don’t know the tools to digital natives who are experts at using the tools, but don’t know how to apply them to business, he adds.

At the City of Mississauga, Marie Fitzpatrick, manager of corporate marketing and promotions, says social media training is conducted on a regular basis. It’s in the form of a social media innovators group, a team that includes the more than 25 people responsible for the City’s different social media channels. Members get together quarterly to discuss strategies, best practices and lessons learned.

“Because social media channels are changing so quickly, it’s all about keeping up with innovation and learning from each other,” Fitzpatrick says. “You always have to be ahead of the curve, whether you’re in frontline customer service or marketing.”

Some companies offer a more formalized curriculum. Cisco Canada for example, started introducing social media training around the mid-2000s. Over time it has expanded the program to include in-class and online resources, as well as video presentations and reverse mentoring. The curriculum today has close to 50 introductory to advanced courses and is open to everyone regardless of their job function or title. To date, 12,000 participants in 45 countries have participated in online social media training.

“The focus of the training is really to raise everyone’s level of comfort with the tools,” says Mark Collins, vice-president of marketing, Cisco Canada in Toronto. “People can go as deep as they want.”

The first thing companies have to realize when developing a training program is that everyone is doing social media everywhere all the time, he adds. “When you put that in the context of training, you have to be mindful that most people are already using it.”

An important area of focus is the code of business conduct that goes with it. “People must understand what we expect of them as ambassadors of the company.”

The challenge, Collins notes, is that social media tends to blend personal and professional lives. “When representing a company you have to know what that means and that there could potentially be billions of listeners. It’s important to learn that social media is as much about listening as it is about talking.”

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